Nutrition
Produce & Salad Bar
* All fresh fruits
* All fresh vegetables (go easy on avocados, they are high in fat)
* Nuts and seeds, such as sunflower and pumpkin
* All salad bar items that are fresh vegetables (lettuce, celery, carrots, green peppers, spinach, etc.).
* Tofu (soy bean curd). This may be in dairy or meat sections of the store.
Strictly limit: coconut, croutons, salads made with mayonnaise, regular salad dressing. Use small amounts of low-calorie salad dressings. (Better yet, use fat-free and reduced-fat salad dressings.)
Meat, Poultry, Fish
Look for lean cuts of meat with fat trimmed, such as:
* Beef: round, sirloin, tenderloin, ground round, ground sirloin, or extra lean ground beef
* Pork: tenderloin, leg (fresh) shoulder (arm or picnic)
* Lamb: leg, arm, loin, rib
* Veal: all trimmed cuts, except commercially ground
* Poultry: chicken, turkey, cornish hens, etc.
* All fish, shellfish
Strictly limit: goose, domestic duck, salt pork, chitterlings
Delicatessen
* Sliced lean meats, such as turkey, ham, chicken, lean beef
* Ready-to-eat broiled or rotisserie chicken and turkey breast
* Fresh fruit salads
Strictly limit: mayonnaise-dressed salads, sausage, frankfurters, high-fat luncheon meats, such as bologna, salami, and bacon
Freezer Section
* Frozen fruits and vegetables. Buy these frozen loosely in bags so it is easy to make 1 portion.
* Juice concentrates
* Frozen dinners-preferably ones with less than 300 calories and 1000 mg. of sodium or less/serving
* Frozen fish fillets – look for fresh-frozen ones that can be reapportioned when you take them home instead of solid packed ones that you would have to thaw out.
* Sugar-free or low calorie frozen treats, such as sugar-free and regular popsicles and fudgesicles, frozen yogurt, lite tofutti, fruit ices, etc.
Dairy Section
* Skim milk, 1/2% low fat milk, buttermilk
* Soy milk (with added calcium)
* Plain, nonfat yogurt
* Low-fat, soft cheeses, like cottage and farmers
* Reduced fat and other cheeses labeled no more than 2 to 6 grams fat per ounce
* Margarine: soft tub (regular and diet), Benecol® and Take Control® margarines
* Orange and other fresh juices (not fruit drinks)
* English muffins
* Whole wheat, corn, and flour tortillas
* Eggs, egg substitute
Strictly limit: Biscuits, croissants, cream, sour cream, half and half, cheeses other than above, whole milk, 2% low-fat milk, butter
Breads, Cereals
* Whole wheat bread, regular or lite (40 calories/slice)
* Whole wheat and plain dinner rolls
* Whole wheat and regular pita breads
* English muffins
* Bagels (also stocked in freezer section)
* Breadsticks
* Sandwich buns (“lite” are also available)
* Rice cakes
* Cereal mixes for cooked cereals: oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, etc.
* Ready-to-eat cereals. Look for ones with at least 2 grams of fiber and less than 2 grams of fat per one ounce serving. Limit sugar-sweetened ones.
Staples
* Canned entrees/main dishes (8 grams of fat or less, per 1 cup serving)
* Canned fish, such as tuna in water, salmon
* Rice, brown or white, barley, bulgar
* Pastas, like plain noodles, macaroni, spaghetti
* Dried or canned beans and peas like split peas, black-eyed peas, chick peas, kidney beans, lentils, soybeans
* Canned fruits packed in water or their own juices
* “Old-fashioned” style peanut butter (oil can be seen at the top of the jar)
* Low-fat crackers, such as matzos, bread sticks, rye krisp, saltines (with unsalted tops), graham crackers, zwieback
* Popcorn (regular or microwave-packaged, if less than 2 grams of fat per serving)
* Spices, seasonings, herbs, butter flavor sprinkles, vanilla, other flavor extracts
* Salad dressings – “Lite,” “reduced-calorie,” “no oil” or “fat free” varieties
* Vinegar
* Condiments, such as ketchup, mustard, worcestershire sauce, horseradish, etc. Use small amounts. These are high in sodium.
* Reduced-sodium bouillon, unsweetened pickles, canned soups
* Flour; whole wheat, all purpose, whole wheat and all purpose combination
* Cornstarch
* Vegetable cooking sprays
* Liquid vegetable oils, such as olive and canola
* Coffee, tea, cocoa mixes with nonfat dry milk
* Sugar-free gelatin and drink mixes
* Wine, dry for cooking
* Nonfat dried milk
* Canned evaporated skim milk
* Bottled water
Strictly limit: Potato chips and other high fat, high salt snacks, regular canned vegetables (because they are high in salt), and seasonings and foods with monosodium glutamate (MSG).
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine